Underground
by ice shredder
Summary: She's hurt and afraid. It's my fault. I shouldn't have left her alone. Missing scene from 1x09. VinCat centric. T for safety. Enjoy!


**Title: Underground**

 **Fandom: BATB 2012**

 **Author: ice shredder**

 **Spoilers/Warnings: missing scene after Vincent visits Cat in the hospital and the fallout after Alex spots him trying to slip away unnoticed. 1x09 is fair game.**

 **Summary: She's hurt and afraid. It's my fault. I shouldn't have left her alone.**

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"Vincent! Vincent Keller!"

 _Oh God. It can't be her. Not now after all this time._

The ex-soldier double-timed it down the hospital stairs and dodged behind a large white column, trying not to panic and attract even _more_ unwanted attention. The redhead nurse-his old childhood sweetheart-kept trumpeting his name, increasing his agitation.

He had just come from visiting Catherine Chandler as she recovered from a near-fatal car wreck that ended in a shootout. Now with his former fiancee broadcasting his identity to the entire hospital staff he regretted exposing himself.

"Vincent where'd you go? I know you came back for me. Stop hiding for cripes sake!"

 _Shut up Alex! I'm not the same guy you knew._ Both man and beast slipped away through a side alley. Scaling the wall of the neighboring building he leapt from roof to roof till he vanished as if he'd never been there.

 _This is bad,_ he thought. _J.T.'s gonna have a heart attack when he hears about Alex. I just hope Catherine understands why things could get ugly for me in a hurry._

...

Meanwhile the girl in question lay in her hospital bed eager to get discharged. Cat felt lighter and so free when she confessed to Vincent she accepted all of who he was. His relief was so palpable when he gently took her hand in his large calloused one, it made her want to cry.

 _I'm so glad we cleared that up. Now he doesn't have to be afraid of hurting me._ She knew that for a fact. Vincent Keller would rather die if he remotely hurt her or thought she feared him. And a world without him was far too painful to think about. It terrified the female cop...never to hear the tall man's deep raspy voice or his handsome scarred face, or run her hands through his soft brown hair-

She shook her head. _Enough. Nothing bad's gonna happen to him. Not on my watch._

Within an hour's time-under Heather's stream of protests that she was rushing things-Catherine left the hospital in her SUV's rearview mirror.

...

"Dude! You saw Alex at the hosptial?! _Alex_ your _ex-_ _ **fiancee**_ spotted you..and proceeded to shout your name at the top of her lungs?!" J.T. Forbes paced the floor of the abandoned warehouse that doubled as his and Vincent's secret hideout beyond incredulous and pissed off.

"I warned you to stay away. I told you I had a bad feeling about this but _nooo._ You just _had_ to go didn't you man? And now _this_ happens. If you hadn't gone to that damn wedding _none_ of this would be happening!"

The ex-soldier sat unmoving on his bed, large hands folded under his chin barely listening to J.T. blister his eardrums on taking yet another stupid risk to be around Catherine. For the most part, he let it roll over his head. There was no good pointing out the obvious. Catherine Chandler was his addiction and like every other man in love, he got caught fueling his high. There were no excuses. Alex wouldn't stop until she ferreted him out. And that could spell disaster for all parties involved.

J.T. continued to pace in front of his best friend, agitation and anger in every word.

"And thanks to Catherine, all my efforts to conceal you from Murifield is gonna go down the tubes. All because you two wanna 'live with one foot in both worlds.' That isn't gonna work. One of you has to make a decision. All or nothing. This is all _her_ fault-"

" _J.T._ " A hint of a growl crept into Vincent's voice. "Enough."

J.T. raked tense fingers through his frazzled curly hair. "No. She pushed this way too far. This blows back on us dude, and it will, you can kiss our lives goodbye."

Vincent inhaled deeply then blew out a heavy breath, steeling himself.

"Yeah about that...Evan and Heather showed up at the crash site." He whispered arms crossed, staring straight ahead. J.T. turned and gaped at the bigger man in disbelief. "I was in beast mode."

"Oh _God-_ "

"They didn't get a good look. It was too dark. But I know for a fact Evan's not gonna stop till he IDs me."

It was deathly quiet inside the decrepit warehouse for a few moments as J.T. absorbed the impact of his friend's words. On shaky legs, the young professor walked to the battered fridge and pulled out a Bud Light.

"This is bad. All bad," he muttered so quietly even Vincent barely picked up the words with his enhanced hearing. "We're so screwed."

"Please don't blame Catherine," he said softly trying to placate his irate friend. "Going to the wedding was my decision alone. I'll deal with Alex."

J.T. snorted before taking a long pull from the brown bottle.

"And you're gonna stop Alex...how? She's just as stubborn as Catherine when she puts her mind to something. You know that man."

Vincent rose. Pulling on his worn green jacket he strode toward the solid steel door. J.T. called after him worried.

"Hey! Where you going? It's not safe!"

"Out. I've got my phone."

He was headed for Cat's apartment, the need to talk to her overwhelming. _I have to make sure she's okay. But that means I'm gonna have to tell her about Alex. Dammit._

He felt the beast take over as he scaled a fire-escape and began to run the rooftops. Somehow the man had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that this was just the calm before a very turbulent storm. And he didn't want Catherine getting hurt because of it.

...

Cat lay on her living room couch dressed in loose cotton yoga pants and a v-neck t-shirt. Heather had gone out to buy some comfort food at the grocery store for the rest of the weekend, ordering her sister to lie still and not move.

But the cop was restless. So much transpired over the last twenty four hours that she needed time to process everything. That and not wanting to expose Vincent any further was another reason she wanted to check out of the hospital early to finish her recovery at home.

 _I hope he's safe._

Struck with the sudden urge to bring extra pillows from her bedroom, Cat threw off the afghan quilt Heather had tucked around her before leaving. She slowly trudged down the darkened hallway to her room. Hardly had she crossed the threshold when a familiar baritone voice broke the silence.

"Hey. You alright?"

Cat felt a surge of warmth as she turned towards the open window. Vincent sat on the sill with his back turned, his hulking form outlined by the moon and the city lights below. She didn't jump at his presence. Not like she used to in the early days. There was no reason because she knew he'd never hurt her.

"I'll live," she said, the words soft and soothing as she waved him inside. "Thanks to you." The ex-soldier slipped through the window with a predator's grace. Cat closed the distance and threw her arms around the surprised man's waist, pressing her face against his solid chest.

"Catherine?"

"Shh. Just hold me."

Vincent bound his arms around her lithe body inhaling the fresh scent of her shampooed hair. Her slightly irregular breaths betrayed the calm facade she exuded for her family and friends. He frowned at her poor attempt to hold it together when she was obviously not okay at all.

 _She's hurt and afraid. It's my fault. I shouldn't have left her alone._

"You sure you're alright?" he asked softly. "You're shaking."

Cat sniffled into his shirt before answering.

"Well, I'm not dead. It's just...I've made a mess of things and I'm scared something bad's gonna happen to you...because I didn't want to go to Dad's wedding alone."

He sighed into her hair. _Tell her the truth. She has to know._

"Catherine I'm glad you're okay," he began. The girl pulled back a bit so she could meet his eyes. "But an incident occurred earlier and I need to tell you before you hear it from anyone else."

"Did someone get hurt? Did you help them out?"

"No. Nothing like that." _Dammit...just say it before you lose your nerve._ "I think you'd better take a seat."

Cat obeyed as he guided her to sit on the edge of her bed, her cop instincts on high alert. She was grateful Vincent didn't release his hold on her hand, but whatever he was about to divulge required him to be anchored. And that alarmed her.

For a few moments there was nothing but the sounds of New York nightlife-beeping car horns, people chattering, wind sighing through the sharp edges of the buildings. Then Vincent took a fortifying breath, staring out the open window to the lit ones across the street.

"I ran into a familiar face after I visited your hospital room." He sensed Catherine stiffen at his flat tone, hearing her pulse beat faster. "It was someone I shared an...intimate relationship with before I broke it off when I deployed to Afghanistan."

Cat fought to stay calm for the sake of the man sitting next to her. Barely able to think straight at this new shocker. Moistening sudden dry lips she managed to ask the question.

"Who is she?"

This was the moment the former soldier dreaded on his trek over to Cat's place, but there was no escaping it.

"She's my former fiancee."

Catherine raised her eyebrows.

"Fiancee? You were attached?"

"Yes. I was. But not anymore. I can't go back to that place." Vincent closed his eyes as he continued to speak. "Murifield changed those plans. Cat," he said sliding off the bed and onto his knee, much like a knight before his queen, bracing his hands on her thighs. "Listen to me. What you said earlier at the hospital...it's what I only dreamed of for a long time. You've no idea what that means to me."

"And I'm sticking to it," the female cop said smiling bravely. "I love you Vincent. Never forget that."

The beautiful smile he gave melted all resistance. _I'll find a way to live fully in his world,_ she silently vowed. But first things first.

"Um, so what's your ex-fiancee's name pray tell?" She asked in a mock-playful tone.

Vincent let out an amused chuff.

"Alex."

"Alex. Really? That's a guy's name."

He chuckled. "I'll point her out so she doesn't surprise you. Remember, I'm supposed to be dead."

Suddenly he cocked his head. Listening.

"What's wrong?"

He sighed.

"Your sister's on her way up."

Their gazes flew to the fire escape, then at each other. Reluctant to part company, but Cat couldn't risk him getting caught. Vincent hopped over the sill, landing in a noiseless crouch.

"We're not done discussing this Alex. Just so you know," she said, her tone expectant.

"Yeah. Come by the warehouse when you get the chance."

Both let their gazes linger. Right up until Heather's bossy voice cut through the intimate moment.

"Cat, I'm home!" The sound of her key rattling in the lock was the couple's final warning. "You better be resting! Doctor's orders!"

The elder Chandler tipped her head at Vincent.

 _Go._ She mouthed. _I love you._

With a rustle of his long coat the tall man jumped out into the night, a small smile flitting over his lips.

 **-end**

 **A/N: Whew guys! It's been long overdue but some lovely reviewers wanted some Vincat love so here it is! I almost forgot how amazing these two are together tbh, so maybe some more snippets of Vincat in the future. Stay tuned! :)**

 **As always, I hope y'all enjoyed and don't forget to review! :)**


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